Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Summertime, and the Living is Thrifty–Susan of Living with Punks

Now, didn’t I promise you another Susan? And I always deliver. Well, I mean, if we’re honest, no, no I don’t. But I wasn’t going to lead you on with a Susan and then hand you a Billy-Bob.

Susan of Living with Punks is just fun. First of all, she lovingly calls her kids her little punks. That’s the kind of honesty we like over here. (Mine are my monsters, if you’re curious. Particularly the baby.) Also, I’ve told her a few times her little boy punks have permission to date my little monsters in a few years. Those boys, ach, I want to make annoying ‘so cute’ noises at them until they glare at me and grumble off.

Another thing I love over at Living With Punks is the variety of projects she tends to have going on – kids, babies, home decor, you name it. I’ve made her Floor Pillow and my kids love it, but that darn Shit Zhu stole it and declared it her special spot. And Susan just hosted a very thrifty event, herself, called Scrap Your Stash. And she thinks she isn’t thrifty… pah! She’s clearly got it pretty much covered. So without further ado, I will leave you Susan’s closet-thrifty hands.

Hey all! I’m Susan from Living with Punks and I’m so happy to be here today! Many thanks to Laura for thinking of me to contribute to her series. I have to admit that sometimes I am not thrifty. I know…the total opposite of everyone else. Ha! Mostly it’s because I don’t like compromising style and quality for cost, but… for those of you like me…and I know you’re out there…hello? Please tell me I’m not the only one! I’m here to show you that it can be done

We recently made a trek up to Oregon to visit my dad. It was beautiful country and very relaxing, but, me being a California girl, I had to get some shopping in. Well, where we were at, there wasn’t a huge selection of places to shop so we decided to go to Wal-Mart. Now, one thing about me is I don’t do Wal-Mart. (see above)… Never have. I told my husband once that I’d rather have a root canal then go in there but, times were desperate and I needed my shopping fix….plus we needed corn syrup to make these.

So off we went and I was happily surprised. Not only did they have everything we needed at great prices, but I happened upon their fabric section….WHAT? They have fabric? They have CUTE FABRIC? Hubs was so beside himself that I was enjoying our Wal-Mart trip that he let me peruse the bolts without giving me that come-on-let’s-go eye!

Anywho, I found this super cute cherries fabric ($5/yard) and a cheap little 3T top ($2.50) to make this frugal little dress for Laura’s series…Let’s get started!

All you need for this 3T dress is a T-shirt in your child’s size, 1/2 yard fabric and a few feet of blanket binding

Cut your 1/2 yard fabric down to in 2 cuts. One will be 40”x10” and the other 40”x6.5”

Sew the ends of each cut together to create a long tube. You will have 2 long tubes.

Sew a gathering stitch at the top of each skirt and pull the bobbin threads. Make sure the skirts are not any smaller than the bottom hem of the shirt.

Hem the 10” skirt by using a 1/2” hem. I just fold up 1/2” and then another 1/2” to cover the raw edge and stitch.

The 6.5” skirt will just get a blanket binding added directly to the hem…easy!

Baste the skirts together and slip over the shirt and pin together at the shirt hem, right sides together.

Sew all the pieces together using a seam allowance wide enough that includes the original hem of the shirt

So cute! I am with you on the whole Wal-Mart thing. My husband jokes that I'd rather buy stuff from Tijuana than Wal-Mart! I may have to venture out and find one, though, to try and make this thrifty, adorable dress. Or maybe I'll send my mom!

About Laura

I am a SAHM to two girls and two boys. I am the scattered but well-meaning wife of my (mostly)patient and (mostly)handy hunk, Chris. I am into sewing, crocheting, knitting, baking, and spraypainting things. I know that I am saved by grace through faith and I believe that I can do almost anything if I am just willing to put forth the effort.